How to Select a Missions Trip
note: this month on the blog we’ll be focusing on different components of leading a short-term missions trip for youth that bears lasting fruit. Make sure to check back in for more.
In his final words to his disciples before ascending into heaven, Jesus commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations. This command is known as “the great commission.” We have been commissioned by our Savior to go and make disciples. Disciple-making should begin in our local churches and communities, but there are also reasons to take mission trips outside our “Jerusalem and Judea” to reach people with the gospel. Thus, to be faithful disciple-makers, we may also want to provide opportunities for our students to be on mission during their time in our ministries. The question is, how do we select and plan a mission trip for them?
Instead of feeling like you are playing darts with a world map (going wherever the dart lands), I want to offer a few practical steps you can take to plan an impactful mission trip for your students so they can get involved in what God is doing around the world.
Prayer
This should go without saying, but in ministry we can sometimes make decisions and plans without bringing them to the Lord in prayer. Before selecting where you will go and what you will do with your students, you should seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in prayer. Consider reading some of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, or God’s heart for the nations in the Psalms and the Prophets. As you read these passages, pray and ask God to help you see his heart for missions and where there is a need that your student ministry could fill by bringing the light of the gospel into a dark city.
Also, as ideas and cities become options, continue to lay these before the Lord and pray that his Spirit would guide you to where he wants you and your students to serve him. As Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Begin the process of selecting a mission trip at the feet of Jesus. He will give you wisdom, guidance, and clarity.
Purpose, People, and Place
As you seek the Lord for wisdom in selecting a mission trip, you need to establish the purpose of your trip and what you hope to accomplish. Although the overarching purpose of every mission trip is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ so that others would believe in Christ and glorify him, secondary purposes can vary. As you design the purpose of your trip, you need to consider your students (people) and their families, what they need, and what they can handle (which aren’t always the same).
Maybe you’ve noticed that your students struggle to articulate what they believe about God and why they believe it. If so, a mission trip focused on street evangelism on a college campus may be a good option to help your students be challenged in their faith by confronting different worldviews. Exposing your students to different cultures and world religions can help them learn to contextualize the gospel for people who are different from them and to see how other religions compare to the gospel.
If you have a large number of athletic students, sharing the gospel through a sports camp might be a good option that would allow them to use their gifts and talents to reach people for Christ. Maybe you have students who love serving at your church’s VBS. If so, consider taking them on a mission trip to serve in another country or culture by leading a VBS for kids in that area.
When considering your students and families, you also need to account for what they can handle in terms of travel, finances, and length. It might not be the best option to take your students on their first mission trip to a third-world country 16 hours from home. There may be wars or other issues in the place you are considering that make parents uncomfortable. Consider taking a domestic trip first, not too far away, to ease your parents and students into the idea of being on a mission for Christ. There are most likely many places within a 2-5 hour drive that have international populations and pockets of different cultures to engage with, without the more extreme concerns associated with international travel.
The length of the trip will depend on your group's spiritual maturity and what they can commit to. One idea is to create tiers for different age groups in your ministry. Consider a weekend domestic trip 1-3 hours away, or a local trip in your community with your middle school students. For high school students, you can build on this trip by offering a week-long overseas opportunity during a fall or spring break. For seniors or college students, consider an extended summer trip of 2-3 weeks to a challenging area of the world, or provide opportunities for a semester-long or gap-year mission trip.
Prioritize the Local Church
One of the biggest (often unintentional) mistakes people make on mission trips is neglecting to connect the mission to the local church in the area they serve. Looking back to Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, he was not seeking simply to gain converts but to establish churches by training and appointing elders to continue the ministry of making disciples.
Thus, our mission trips ought to reflect this biblical model. We don’t want to lead someone to Christ and then be unable to direct them to a local church where they can grow as a disciple. Instead, as you select the purpose and place that are best for your people, seek to partner with a local church in the area you are serving. Not only will this allow your team to serve and encourage other believers in this area, but it will also solidify for your students the importance of the local church and the beauty of the universal church working together to make disciples of all the nations.
Consider a church plant from your own church (domestic or international). Once you have established a relationship with a location and a local church, consider returning to that location each year. This is one of the best ways to do short-term missions because it allows your students to continue praying and stay connected with this church throughout the year, and it helps them anticipate going back again the next year.
For example, over the past few years, we have taken our high school students to Atlanta and Auburn to partner with church planters and friends who have influenced my walk with Christ. During our time, these local churches joined our students for outreach and ministry and also trained them through teaching sessions on world religions, evangelism, prayer, and discipleship. Our students have enjoyed staying with other families in the church, learning from diverse voices, and seeing the beauty of the local church outside their own city.
Practical Resources
In closing, here are some practical resources to help you select a location and purpose for your mission trip. Many denominations and organizations offer pre-planned trips that are easy to take, taking the load off you of planning and creating everything. No matter where you go, know that intentionally programming a mission trip for your students to experience will be one of the best things they can do during their teen years. Your time, effort, and planning are not in vain. Trust in the Lord to bless your trip and to send your students out on mission to fulfill the great commission Jesus has given us.
https://www.imb.org/opportunity-finder/
https://www.sendrelief.org/trips/